ActiveWorlds
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1995
- HeadquartersLas Vegas, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
ActiveWorlds firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- ActiveWorlds
- Legal name
- Activeworlds, Inc.
- Website
- https://activeworlds.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1995
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
ActiveWorlds industry classification
Industry- Product category
- 3D Virtual World Platform
- NAICS
- Other Amusement and Recreation Industries (7139)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Virtual Worlds & Social Sandbox Experiences (persistent social spaces) (MPAFAIAG)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Metaverse & Social Virtual Worlds (BPAMAKAF)
Keywords
Where ActiveWorlds is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Las Vegas
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
ActiveWorlds business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- AW Credits (AWC) Purchase: Virtual currency used for world purchases, renewals, building fees, and account charges. Users purchase AWC bundles with discounts up to 20% for larger bundles. Monthly account fee of AWC 29 charged for Regular accounts with full feature access.
- World Purchase and Hosting: Users can purchase and host personal 3D worlds within their own galaxy. Worlds have various sizes with corresponding pricing for initial purchase and annual renewal. Annual world pricing remains consistent with long-standing rates.
- Regular Account Subscription: Monthly recurring charge of AWC 29 for Regular user accounts. Provides full feature access including building, voice/video chat, presentations, contacts and telegrams. Visitor accounts have limited feature access with ability to convert to Regular.
- Building Fees in Public Worlds: Fees for building in public building worlds, reduced to 1/5th to 1/10th of previous costs for builders. Visitors can test features by charging minimum AWC 50.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Visitor (Free) Account |
| Subscription | Monthly | Regular Account - Full Features |
| Unit Pricing | Annual | World Purchase/Renewal |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | AWC Bundles (Credit Purchase) |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
ActiveWorlds product offering
Product offeringCore offering
ActiveWorlds operates a freemium 3D virtual world platform where users download the AW::Browser client to explore, build, and socialize inside shared universes. The Public Free Universe is offered at no cost, while Regular accounts (AWC 29/month) unlock full building, voice/video chat, and presentation tools, and Personal Worlds are sold and renewed on an annual basis for private, customizable 3D spaces.
Product overview
ActiveWorlds is a 3D virtual reality platform and online community, operational since 1995, offering a suite of interconnected products. The core platform consists of the AW::Browser (3D browser application) and the Public Universe (free shared virtual world with hundreds of worlds). Premium offerings include Personal Worlds (private customizable 3D spaces) and YouMe3D::Collab (mobile video conferencing tool). Supporting infrastructure includes ActiveWiki (documentation/wiki) and ActiveWorlds Forums (community discussions). The platform recently upgraded from aw::classic 8.2 to the modern aw::browser with advanced rendering including Physical Based Rendering (PBR) and HDR support.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- AW::Browser: The primary 3D browser client for accessing Activeworlds virtual environments, available for Windows and Android with web browsing, voice chat, streaming media and instant messaging capabilities.
- YouMe3D::Collab
- ActiveWiki
- Alphaworld
Products and services
- AW::Browser The primary 3D browser application for accessing Activeworlds virtual worlds. Available for free download on Windows, Android, and macOS, it enables users to explore virtual environments, chat, share content, and build structures via the XIFY Render Engine with PBR and HDR support.
- YouMe3D::Collab
Quantifiable outcome
- Free accounts available for Visitors
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use ActiveWorlds
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
ActiveWorlds technology and API
TechnologyAPI detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature9 records
ActiveWorlds partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- XIFY, Inc.coreXIFY, Inc. developed the XIFY Render Engine powering Activeworlds since the 64-bit update. They implemented PBR (Physically Based Rendering), HDR (High Dynamic Range), BDRF, and extended surface properties. PBR and HDR implementations copyright 2024 by XIFY, Inc. Exclusively developed for Activeworlds, Inc. WebView integration also powered by Microsoft (internal to Windows).
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
ActiveWorlds competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- IMVU: IMVU is a 3D avatar-based social platform with user-generated virtual rooms and goods, virtual currency monetization, and a similar target demographic of adult social users. Its persistent 3D rooms and creator economy parallel ActiveWorlds' world hosting model.
- VRChat: VRChat is a social VR platform emphasizing user-created 3D worlds, avatar customization, and community-driven content. It targets adult enthusiasts similar to ActiveWorlds' core demographic, offers persistent community worlds, and supports both VR and desktop experiences.
- Second Life: Second Life is the most direct comparable: a long-running 3D virtual world platform launched in 2003 with user-generated content, personal world hosting, virtual currency, and a creator-driven economy. Both platforms target adult creators, offer private world hosting, and operate freemium models with virtual currency.
- Rec Room: Rec Room is a social platform with user-generated 3D rooms, cross-platform support (VR, mobile, console, PC), and creator tools. It targets a similar use case of social gathering and creative building in persistent 3D spaces, with a more modern tech stack and significantly larger user base.
Broad incumbents
- Roblox: Roblox is the dominant UGC 3D virtual world platform with hundreds of millions of users, a robust creator economy, and developer tooling. While Roblox targets a younger demographic and is more game-focused, it competes for the same conceptual territory of user-created 3D persistent virtual environments.
- Meta Horizon Worlds: Meta's Horizon Worlds is a Meta-incubated social VR platform with user-created environments, cross-platform support, and heavy corporate backing. It competes in the same persistent 3D social world category but with vastly greater resources and a stronger VR focus.
- Minecraft:
Emerging players
- Decentraland: Decentraland is a blockchain-based virtual world with user-owned land, UGC environments, and a virtual currency economy. It overlaps with ActiveWorlds on persistent 3D social worlds and creator monetization but differs in its Web3 architecture and target audience of crypto-native users.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
ActiveWorlds social profiles
Digital presenceActiveWorlds financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
ActiveWorlds leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
ActiveWorlds funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
ActiveWorlds M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about ActiveWorlds
What does ActiveWorlds do?
ActiveWorlds operates a freemium 3D virtual world platform where users download the AW::Browser client to explore, build, and socialize inside shared universes. The Public Free Universe is offered at no cost, while Regular accounts (AWC 29/month) unlock full building, voice/video chat, and presentation tools, and Personal Worlds are sold and renewed on an annual basis for private, customizable 3D spaces.
Is ActiveWorlds a public or private company?
ActiveWorlds is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was ActiveWorlds founded?
ActiveWorlds was founded in 1995. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is ActiveWorlds based?
ActiveWorlds is headquartered in Las Vegas, United States, in the North America region.
How does ActiveWorlds make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. AW Credits (AWC) Purchase is the primary driver. The others are world Purchase and Hosting, regular Account Subscription and building Fees in Public Worlds.
Who are ActiveWorlds's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are IMVU, VRChat, Second Life and Rec Room. Broad incumbents are Roblox, Meta Horizon Worlds and Minecraft. Decentraland is listed as an emerging player.
Does ActiveWorlds have an API?
No public API is recorded for ActiveWorlds.
What industry is ActiveWorlds in?
ActiveWorlds's product category is 3D Virtual World Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAFAIAG, Virtual Worlds & Social Sandbox Experiences (persistent social spaces), with a secondary code of BPAMAKAF, Metaverse & Social Virtual Worlds. Its NAICS code is 7139 and its SIC code is 7900.